This presupposes that the trade for Beal is the original roster construction problem in Phoenix that must be solved -- that under the new collective bargaining agreement, building a team around three max salary players, one of whom is performing far below a max level, is untenable.

The Phoenix Suns have been a mixed bag as of late, at times looking like legitimate contenders and at others appearing listless, including in Wednesday’s home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The game was a rematch of last year’s first round playoff series between the two teams,

Devin Booker scored 26 points, Kevin Durant added 24 and the surging Phoenix Suns survived a late scare for a 111-109 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.